Summary: Our tongue can get us into a lot of trouble. Taken from the 7 sin that are an abomination, this sermon deals with the three that del with the tongue.

Illustration: Some people just have a knack for saying the wrong thing. A state trooper pulled a man over for speeding on a deserted road. Since the road was clear and the weather fine, the trooper was indicated that he may not give the man a ticket, and let them off with a warning. He even complimented both the man and his wife for wearing their seat belts. At that point the woman leaned over and said, "Well, officer, when you drive the speeds we do, you have to wear them." That’s when the trooper wrote the ticket.

ILLUSTRATION: After three years of research, Indiana University sociologist Donna Eder has identified an important dynamic involved in gossip. Eder discovered that the initial negative statement was not the starting point for gossip. The critical turning point was found in the response to the initial negative statement. "She’s a real snob" is not the start of gossip. It’s when someone else agrees that the gossip fest begins. Eder found that the key is whether or not a negative statement is "seconded." If a second is provided, gossip has begun.

ILL: Three churches--Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian--worked together to sponsor a community-wide revival. After the revival had concluded, the three pastors were discussing the results with one another. The Methodist minister said, "The revival worked great for us. We gained four families as new members of our congregation." The Presbyterian preacher said, "We did even better than that. We gained six new families as members of our congregation." The Baptist pastor said, "Well, we did even better than that! We got rid of ten of our biggest troublemakers!"

I have been at churches where we needed to loose some members before we gained some members. I pray that this does not become one of them.